Orchard Beach

Located in New York City’s borough of the Bronx, Orchard Beach – also nicknamed as the “Bronx Riviera” – is a popular, one-mile-long, curve-shaped beach with light brown sand, a considerable number of pebbles, and multiple rocky jetties. This beach is spread over 115 acres and it is a part of a larger recreational park named Pelham Bay Park. This beach was listed as one of the “17 Best Beaches Near NYC to Visit Now For Fun In The Sun” and it was also praised by New York magazine’s article “The Urbanist’s Guide to New York City Beaches” in 2019. 

This beach is usually open between 6 am and dusk.

Orchard Beach offers lifeguards usually from Memorial Day to Labor Day between 10 am to 6 pm. In addition to lifeguards, this beach and the park area around it also offer many other amenities including concession stands, a promenade, restrooms, showers, changing rooms, grassy recreational areas, barbecue areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, baseball fields, basketball courts, biking paths, hiking trails, horse riding trails, pickleball courts, and kayak/canoe launch areas. 

Dogs on leash are allowed here between October 2nd and Memorial Day Weekend. Dogs are prohibited here between Memorial Day Weekend and 1st October.

Orchard Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, fishing, volleyball, hiking, swimming, tidepooling, boogie boarding, and wildlife watching.  

This beach is ideal for beginner swimmers because the mostly clean and shallow water here is usually calm. If you are planning to swim, kayak, canoe, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here can have unpredictable rip currents. In addition, swimming is also prohibited here when lifeguards are not on duty – please also note that water activities including kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, and snorkeling are prohibited here. Fishing is also prohibited in swimming areas near the beach.  

If you like tidepooling, you can explore the interesting tidepools at the northern end of this beach during low tides. If you like taking pictures with excellent views, this beach offers amazing views of Pelham Bay and the New York shoreline. In addition, this beach hosts many fun Orchard Beach Bronx events including a summer concert series and a running event named The Orchard Beach Mile.

Orchard Beach has a wheelchair-friendly access mat for visitors with disabilities. In addition, this beach also has beach wheelchairs for visitors with disabilities – if you are planning to use a beach wheelchair, you can contact the local authorities through phone at (718) 885-2275.

Getting to Orchard Beach is easy and the Orchard Beach Bronx NY directions are simple to follow – from the New England Thruway – which is a part of Interstate 95, you need to turn towards Hutchinson River Parkway. There are signs for Orchard Beach near Hutchinson River Parkway that will lead you to an exit named “Exit 3” that will in turn lead you to a roundabout. You need to follow the signs near this roundabout and the surrounding roads that will eventually lead you to the beach. 

There are multiple paid parking lots near the beach and they charge $9 between Mondays and Fridays and $11 on weekends and holidays. 

We recommend visiting this beach early on summer weekends because it gets crowded and the parking lots here can also fill up quickly. Please note that this beach is only seasonally open for visitors. We recommend visiting this beach in summers because in the winter weather Orchard Beach NY can be sometimes extremely chilly.

Orchard Beach and the area around it were renovated in the 1930s by public official Robert Moses – the artificial Orchard Beach and Promenade, along with the nearby bathhouse were primarily designed by eminent architect Aymar Embury II. In addition, this beach was also popularly labelled as the “Riviera of New York” after it was renovated in the 1930s. In addition, Orchard Beach received its name – Orchard Beach – because the area around it earlier used to have many orchards. 

There are many attractions near Orchard Beach. The Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum is set within a beautiful 1836 Greek Revival-style house and it also offers interesting insight into the local history.  Glen Island Park is a recreational park that has a beach named Glen Island Beach and it also offers many amenities including grassy recreational areas, walking paths, picnic areas, boat launch facilities, restrooms, drinking water facilities, picnic areas, and a playground. In addition, this park also has ruins of a historic summer resort built by businessman John H. Starin in the late 19th century. Bronx Zoo is an extremely popular zoo that is one of the United States’ largest zoos and has more than 4,000 animals from 650 species – this zoo has interesting exhibits that are designed to recreate the animals’ natural habitats and it also offers many fun educational events.

  New York Botanical Garden is a 250-acre botanical garden that has one million plants from 12,000 species all over the world. The constituent smaller gardens here include a rock garden, a native plant garden, a collection of flowering plants, and herb garden – this garden also has a library and it hosts many fun events including an annual mini-train show and art exhibitions.  Ferry Point Park is a recreational park that offers many amenities including a golf course, basketball courts, grassy recreational areas, a baseball field, a play area for kids, a pedestrian trail, barbecue areas, and restrooms – this part also offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the East River. If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Williamsbridge Oval is a recreational park that was opened in 1937 and it offers many amenities including basketball courts, bocce courts, skate parks, restrooms, playgrounds, tennis courts, football fields, and restrooms.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Orchard Beach.  City Island Lobster House is known for serving excellent lobster dishes – it also serves a variety of other amazing dishes including seafood, steaks, pastas, salads, pork ribs, and chicken parmigiana.  JP’s is an upscale restaurant that is known for serving amazing seafood and it also offers other dishes including steaks, barbecued ribs, chicken dishes, and pastas. Vistamar Restaurant & Lounge offers a festive atmosphere and it offers a variety of amazing Latin American-inspired dishes including Latin-inspired seafood, mofongo, burger, grilled chicken, and Latin-style steak – this restaurant also offers broadway-style musical performances. Dallas BBQ is known for serving amazing barbecued dishes including barbecued chicken, ribs, steaks, and seafood – it is also known for serving amazing margaritas. If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Cozy Cottage Restaurant is known for serving Italian, Latin American, and Greek fusion dishes for breakfast and lunch including pastas, burgers, sandwiches, pancakes, salads, and eggs.

If you are looking for a hotel near Orchard Beach, there are many great nearby hotels near Orchard Beach Bronx NY within a 25-minute-drive. The 3.5-Star Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel offers many amenities including a restaurant, a fitness center, and outdoor sitting areas. Another great affordable hotel is the 3-Star Residence Inn by Marriott New York The Bronx at Metro Center Atrium that offers many amenities including a fitness center, a patio with a firepit, a bar, and complimentary breakfast. Another moderately-priced hotel is the Radio Hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a courtyard with sitting areas, and a fitness center. The 3-Star Ramada by Wyndham Bronx is another great hotel that offers many amenities including ATMs, a hot tub, a sundry mart, and complimentary breakfast. If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hotel NoMa,Trademark Collection by Wyndham offers many amenities including a fitness center, a pool, and a restaurant.